Are you Staying at the Top of Your Game?

Becoming an expert in your field isn’t something that happens overnight. If it did, we’d all be experts, right?

Nope, the truth is growing into a thought-leader and/or expert takes time, work and a lot of learning to become a sought-out professional. You have to know what works and what doesn’t, how to measure what you’ve done, along with how to fix yourself and improve your game. Many people think once you have a few years of experience under your belt or even once the business has been started they’re all “good”. That they know everything necessary to thriving in their field.

That’s not the case, not even close. Understanding what it takes — the work, the inspiration, the love for your industry — is what separates the good from the great: The people who will be remembered from those who drift away.

There’s always more to learn! As we all know, technology has become a huge part of today’s society and it’s always changing, so it’s important to stay on top of the different ways technology can help us. However, this isn’t the only thing that is ever-changing.

So what can you do to stay ahead in your game?

Know Who you’re Playing Against

Learn and grow from the competition. Follow them on social media. Search key words your prospective clients would search on Google and see what comes up online. When individuals are deciding if they will do business with you or a competitor, you have to know what separates you from them. What makes your business indispensable? Know what your competitors are good at and find your own niche. Know what makes them successful and what you’re successful at.

Figure Out Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Accurately identifying your strengths is a great asset to have. You know exactly what you do well. But sometimes identifying your weaknesses can be an even greater benefit. When you identify what your weaknesses are, you can work on improving them or simply knowing: This isn’t something we want to get in to. Let someone else do that part of the business and you keep rockin’ what you’re good at. Of course, you can learn from the mistakes you’ve made and eventually turn them into strengths. There’s a lot of room to grow in strengths and coming to terms with weaknesses.

Always Keep An Open Mind

It’s easy to get stuck in your ways, especially if you think they’re working. But as Henry Ford explained, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Basically, you don’t know what you’re missing if you don’t explore what you don’t have. Keep an open mind, try different practices and discover what else is out there. You must be agile and adapt to survive in today’s ever-changing world.

Crave knowledge in your field

See who the influencers and individuals are in your industry and learn from them. Sign up for training courses, listen to podcasts, watch YouTube Videos. Use time each week to learn something new in your niche. Stay the expert by learning from the experts. If you want to keep knowledge coming out- you must keep consuming it.

It is so crucial to stay a student of your trade because there is always so much more you can learn and adapt to keep your business ahead of the curve and growing.

Share with me- how do you stay at the top of your game? How do you continue learning in your field?